Why diversifying might be easier than you think

CCS Influencer John Walker says it's easy for existing coatings contractors to diversify due to overlapping application tools, methods and equipment.

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with John Walker of APOC Roof and Waterproofing Solutions. You can read the interview below, listen to the podcast or watch the recording.

Alex Tolle: Hello, I'm Alex Tolle with CoatingsCoffeeShop.com, and I am back for another influencer response. I'm here with John Walker today. How are you, John?

John Walker: I'm wonderful. I'm wonderful. How are you today?

Alex Tolle: Good, so happy to see you. So our October 2025 question is: what other construction coating applications should contractors consider adding to differentiate or expand their business?

John Walker: You know, there are so many options out there: the traditional acrylic silicone urethane that's out there, and those are great options. One advantage that we have with ICP is that we have so many more. For example, cold process rubber waterproofing systems, cementitious deck coatings. A lot of the contractors out there that like to do coatings — they're capable of doing it. There's so much they can get into flooring, whether it's single-component, two-component, polyurethanes, epoxies, all those types of things. You have the waterproofing, cementitious waterproofing, cold rubber waterproofing, driveway sealers. If you know how to run a screechie or a roller, a lot of that is simple. Get it clean, properly prepped, primed if necessary and then put your fluid-applied down at a proper millage, right?

All of that is going to be very similar to all of our coatings contractors out there. So if they're looking to diversify, which is always huge, there are so many things. Sports surfacing, California sports surface — that's another one that we have — industrial coatings, getting into actual painting. There's so much out there that could be done — mold remediation, getting into fiberlock coatings and those types of things. They're all great options that contractors can do to diversify their business.

Alex Tolle: Amazing. Yeah, it sounds like it doesn't take that much more to add a couple of those extra things in there. Once you know one coating, it's easy to pick up another one.

John Walker: Yeah, because when you're dealing with coatings, you're used to mixing buckets, you're used to making sure your surface is properly prepped and primed. You're already used to checking and making sure that you have the proper fluid-applied millage going down. So, all of that is going to be very, very similar. The application tools and methods and some of the equipment is identical. So it's very easy for our existing coatings contractors to move over into that.

And also, you know, if you've got somebody that's not doing coatings right now and they're not sure where they want to get in — whether it be the standard acrylics- and silicone-type roof coatings, or whether you get into something a little more into the waterproofing realm, below grade, that type of thing — the applications are going to be very similar. So, it's a lot of your same crews that can work both.

Alex Tolle: Amazing. Well, thank you so much, John, as always, for your insights, and we will catch you next month.

John Walker: Absolutely. You have a wonderful day, and I will talk to you soon.

Alex Tolle: Thank you.